Yoddal's eyes widened. She didn't know what should be her reply. She never wanted him to ask in the first place so that there would be no cause for her to lie.
She had believed that he won't ask making her not to forehand think of what to say. Infact, all that her mind was on was him. What was she to say now?
"Uhmm, prin-princess? What?! No way!" She chuckled awkwardly.
"Then, why did she...?" Steve's question was interrupted by Yoddal. "Uhmm you...you kn- you know this place is uhmm, uhmm dark, so she... she mistook me for the princess that she is looking for who is totally not me." She said after racking her brain quickly.
'Hmmm, that was the fastest I have ever thought.' She thought within herself. 'Who knew I was so smart.' She thought, feeling proud of herself.
"Oh. Okay." Steve nodded his head at her explanation. "Yeah." She said. "So where were we?" She asked, smiling brightly while moving closer to him all at the same time.
This time around, he kind of knew that she would kiss him and this got him excited. He could not wait to feel her lips against his own again. "Now, tell me about you." She asked him with her lips very close to his. "Huh?" He could not hear what she was saying as his focus was on her lips.
She therefore moved her lips very close to his left ear. " I said you should tell me about yourself." She said slowly. He gulped down his spit. His face flushed red. Although he was affected by her closeness, he could now register what she said.
Yoddal loved the effect that she had on him to the extent that he was blushing. He looked so cute. She decided to go easy with her teasing. She truly wanted to know more about him. She then created some distance between both of them.
"Come on." She urged him. He cleared his throat and composed himself. "Well, I was born into a family of six. My father is a retired soldier, my mother is at home. I have three sisters. Or should I say had." His tone was grave at his last statement.
Yoddal noticed the way he talked and how his facial expression turned sad and she did not like it at all. "What happened?" She could not help but inquire.
He hesitated a little bit but she took hold of his hand and squeezed it a little bit. He looked at her and she smiled softly at him.
He inhaled deeply and exhaled. "When we were younger, that is my sisters and I, our father was still a soldier. The King's personal and most effective bodyguard. He defended the King in every battle. He was almost like the King's life supporter. At some point, the King's enemies knew him and began to target him..."
...
Livius felt bad for his King and Queen and the bad position that they were in. He could not help but want to save them from the embarrassment that was surely coming for them.
"I'm so sorry General Cyan. This whole confusion is all my fault. I did not let them know who exactly will be coming hence their surprise that the great and only female general will be helping us." He gently and carefully said to avoid any more implicating words.
"It's okay. I also get that you, yourself, are not proud of your royal highnesses' behaviour. You remember how we both discussed how wrong it was for them to be throwing parties while the Kingdom is about to be in a crisis." She paused a little bit to make the people now focus on the part where Richard and Rita showed uncaring attitude about the masses.
"However, I will still do what I came here for because I have already decided. And whenever I take a decision I stick by it, right Dherek?" She asked Dherek with her gaze upon both Richard and Rita as if to stare into their souls.
"Of course, General. Of course."
...
"He was targeted because they knew if they were able to weaken the weaken him it would be much more easier for them to attack the King successfully. The one that was hellbent on doing this was King Miraj of Nirias"
'That is father.' She realized. She suddenly felt scared of what he would say next.
"I don't know how but he somehow managed to befriend the King and my father much to the Queen's displeasure. She was never in support of their sudden friendship but they would not listen. He had managed to manipulate their thinking. Unknown to them, he had been planning his attack and finally an opportunity came for him. On the King's birthday, he threw a party and invited all his friends, including King Miraj. The Queen tried convincing him not to but he would not listen. According to him "Why would someone be my friend and I would not invite him to my birthday? What type of friend would I be?" My father, my mother, my sisters, I, we were all at the party. And then, finally, King Miraj arrived. When he came he behaved nicely. He made everyone feel at ease. Even the Queen who was against him earlier trusted him. He was a good actor! Then along the party, when everyone's guard was down, he attacked. His army bursting through the doors. My father however sprung into action and did you know what he did?" He asked Yoddal rhetorically but she shook her head anyways.
"One of his men grabbed me..." Yoddal gasped
"And he held me in place. He drew his arrow and aimed it at me. He was going to kill me. Just when he released the arrow to shoot me, Mabel... pushed me... and stood in my place. Sh-she got shot in my place."
Sh-she... died." He said in a whisper. Yoddal was saddened by this story and gathered him in her arms as he was already crying. He did not even seem to know he was crying until some seconds later.
And he succumbed into it.
"And he did not have a real reason behind his hatred for the King or my father. He is such an evil man." He mumbled.
"I hate him so much. He killed my sister." He said with so much passion that Yoddal felt a shiver run down her spine.